Gunmen in Police Uniform Abduct Corps Member, Others in Kogi

Gunmen in Police Uniform Abduct Corps Member, Others in Kogi

Gunmen dressed in police uniform abducted a member of the National Youth Service Corps, Becky Godfrey, and three other travellers along the Okene-Auchi Road in Kogi Sate, the Punch reports. 

The victims who were on a bus travelling to Bayelsa State ran into an ambush laid for them by the kidnappers.

Becky, who is serving in the Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, was travelling back to her place of primary assignment to sign a clearance form for her monthly allowance when she was abducted with the others.

One of the assailants, who was in a police uniform, flagged down the bus. As the driver stopped, other members of the gang came out of a bush and seized the corps member.

They were said to have picked three other passengers, while other occupants, including the driver, were allowed to go before they disappeared into the bush.

The driver reported the incident at the Okene Police Division.

A few hours after the abduction, the assailants contacted Becky’s father, Braima Godfrey, on the phone, and demanded N5m in ransom.

Braima said efforts to negotiate with the kidnappers did not yield any fruit. He, however, said the police eventually rescued Becky and other victims around 12pm on Tuesday.

“They said I should bring N5m”, Briama Godfrey said.

“I bargained with them on Monday, but they did not agree. I called them more than 20 times, but they insisted on N5m. I called them again this morning (Tuesday), they were adamant.

“My daughter told me on the phone that some of her abductors wore masks and that three other passengers were kidnapped. She graduated last year from Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, where she studied Marketing. She will finish her service in May.

“When I got to the Okene Police Division on Tuesday, I was told that the Area Commander and some officers had gone to the scene of the incident.

“Around 12pm, my daughter and the three others were rescued and one of the suspects was arrested.”

Becky, 30, said they were not fed and were only offered dirty water when they complained of being thirsty.

“They collected our money and phones and took four of us with them into the bush. Some of them were Fulani. They beat me up and forced me to disclose my father’s phone number.

“My experience in the bush was terrible. They didn’t give us any food. Later, they gave us dirty water to quench our thirst. The water was smelly. None of us drank it. I was the only female; the three other victims were males.”

The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, said two persons were arrested and had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department.

Corps members have recently become easy targets for kidnappers in the country. Last August a corps member was kidnapped in Zamfara State. Another member was kidnapped in Abuja by suspected Fulani herdsmen in December.